A federal judge, numerous educators and several former student-athletes were among the 300-plus who turned out to pay homage to 15 new inductees of the Macomb County Coaches Hall of Fame Thursday evening in Sterling Heights.

The high school coaches were honored at Best Western Sterling Inn Banquet Center for their dedication of time and energy, leadership skills and ability to help students not only in athletics but in the game of life as they transition from young people into adults, organizers said.

“It’s not necessarily about wins and losses,” said Robin Dilday, president of the Macomb County Athletic Directors Association for the past 18 years. “It’s about the values and morals these men and women pass on, the connections and lifelong learning skills they give to the student athlete.”

The 2013 inductees will join their predecessors in having a plaque with their name inscribed on it placed on the wall at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse in Shelby Township. They are:

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* Edmond Carleton, Cousino

* Joyce Christmann, L’Anse Creuse

* Bob Giles, Mount Clemens

* Michael Giannone, Dakota

* Bobby Hill, Stevenson

* Matt Joseph, Ford, East Detroit

* Bob Lefkowitz, L’Anse Creuse

* Ann Marie Michol, De La Salle, Regina

* Joe Michol, De La Salle, Utica

* Jim Plutschuck, Utica, Roseville Sacred Heart

* Brad Robinson, Warren Woods-Tower, Fraser

* Steve Vercammen, Roseville, De La Salle

In addition, Sue Balow of L’Anse Creuse and Carla Thompson of Eisenhower each received Distinguished Service awards, while Dilday — athletic director for Utica Community Schools — received the Jack Francis Award of Merit.

The concept for a coaches hall of fame goes back to 1993 when a group of athletic directors decided to recognize the work coaches. They teamed with The Macomb Daily and eventually found a home for the hall at the Joe Dumars Fieldhouse. The first honorees were inducted in 1995 and more are added every two years.

Coaches with 15 years of experience are eligible to be nominated. A committee reviews nominating forms and makes a final determination on the selections.

Joyce Christmann, whose retired track coach husband, Gary, was inducted into the hall seven years ago, said she was “totally surprised” when she learned of her own induction.

“As a coach, I think of myself as part of the L’Anse Creuse program and team, not as an individual,” she said.

Several honorees talked about the importance of being a role model similar to teachers and parents.

“We talk about respect and values and doing things the right way,” said Joseph, 50. “In a way, we’re an extension of the classroom in that we teach kids how to handle life situations.”

A number of coaches said they were genuinely touched by those who turned out to be part of the induction celebration.

U.S. District Court Judge George Caram Steeh and former Mount Clemens Superintendent T.C. Wallace were among those who turned out to recognize the 66-year-old Giles, who never was a varsity coach but coached junior varsity and freshman football and assistant track coach at Mount Clemens.

“We used to run together for 25 years to get some exercise and we shared a lot of our lives together,” Judge Steeh said. “This man has a huge heart and treated the kids right.”

Giles said coaches deserve to be honored for “being in the trenches” with student athletes for lengthy periods of time.

“We have a teacher of the year honor, so we should do the same for coaches, who certainly have paid their dues. I think the coaches do a great job and in some cases, draw up better lesson plans than teachers,” he said.

Judges and educators weren’t the only ones showing up to pay tribute to their old coaches — plenty of current and former student-athletes were in attendance.

Those included Lisa “Wojo” Wojciechowski of Shelby Township, who attended for Carleton, who coached cross country and track for 31 years beginning at Cousino in 1973 and ending in 2003 at Crosswell-Lexington.

Now a teacher and coach herself, Wojciechowski said she appreciates all Carleton did for her beyond the track such as helping secure a scholarship at Hillsdale College and then helping out the program there.

“I’m here to support him because he was more than a great coach,” she said. “He supported me and kept in touch with me after I left high school.

“I’m a coach now and he used to have these team dinners at his house the night before a meet. I thought that was a great way to build team unity, so I use that, too.

“I learned from him.”

Those words were music to the ears of Carleton, who — like many of Macomb’s coaches — has remained close to several of his former student athletes over the years.

“I wanted to know my kids as people, not just as athletes. I wanted to know what they were going to do with their life. Many of them tell me they enjoyed running in school and still enjoy running. This is what I’m most proud of,” he said.